1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fish catcher mounted at the end of a fishing line and more particularly to improvements in a fish catcher which is made of a bent rod which is designed to draw a hook line automatically and resiliently upward when a fish snaps at the bait of a fishing hook at the end of the hook line suspended from one end of the bent rod.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present inventor already proposed a fish catcher of the structure substantially described above in Japanese Patent Publication No. 69187/1978 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,168), and the present invention is an improvement over the this prior art.
In the prior art, identified above, when a hook is brought into elastic engagement with a hook ring and a catcher is set ready for action, the elastic engagement is effected either by drawing a hook line downward with both finger tips of one hand and during the time placing fingers of another hand in the position in which to help bring both the hook and ring into engagement and then by engaging the hook with the ring or by drawing a leg rod and a leg rod close to each other with fingers of both hands in the direction of engagement. The fact, however, is that the manipulation for engagement described above is exceedingly cumbersome at a fishing place where the angler is exposed to wind, rain and snow and finds it difficult to handle a fishing tackle, and particularly in winter time the angler finds it difficult to manipulate the tackle because his fingers become stiff with cold.
When the catcher is cast into the water after completion of the elastic engagement of the hook and ring of the catcher, it sometimes happens that the collision of the catcher with the water surface, subjection thereof to underwater current or catching thereof by rocks and reefs tends to disengage the engaged catcher before a fish snaps at the bait of the catcher, bringing the intended fishing to failure.